For its work in the promotion of zero hepatitis in Nigeria in the last two years, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has been recognized as the most supportive organization to the various efforts to stamp out the dreaded virus from the country. This took place at this year’s Mike Omotosho Foundation lecture in Abuja which examined the efforts of both international and local organizations to raise awareness and avail citizens with the solution to the scourge of hepatitis.
Receiving the award, the Director-General of the Agency Dr. Garba Abari said the Agency is committed to empowering Nigerians with needed enlightenment to ensure early screening, vaccination and treatment of the two most dangerous types of the virus including types B and C.
World Health Organisation estimates that more than twenty million Nigerians are infected with the virus and sadly, only 20% of them are aware of their status. The zero hepatitis campaign seeks to increase awareness, provide access to preventive cure especially vaccination and offer treatment to those infected.
An appreciative Abari noted that focus of the campaign on zero Hepatitis was timely especially as both the elite and other Nigerians know very little about the virus. He said the Health promotion platform has benefited from the partnership of the Mike Omotosho Foundation in the last two years urging other agencies including civil society organization to give it the necessary push.
Abari said that there is a part of Yobe and Borno State that there is outcry about disease affecting the liver which without doubt should be Hepatitis related disease. He called on the relevant agencies and civil society organization to take action now to nip the spread of this scourge in the North-East of Nigeria.
The DG – NOA said that the Agency has a robust platform to take the awareness to grassroot level with the Agency’s foot soldiers known as the Community Mobilization Officers who can speak the dialects and knows the culture of their community.
Hepatitis viral infection is an inflammation of the liver caused by 5 main viruses; A,B,C,D and E. in particular B & C are most deadly and together are most common causes of liver cirrhosis and cancer.